Italy Books

In this book we follow Father Lee through a year spent in Rome in the seventies, teaching American students attending a Catholic University. He opens the eyes of his students, as he does his readers, to the power of art to enrich and inspire us. We follow him as he teachs his students about the works of Homer and Virgil, and we come to understand the freshness of these works written thousands of years ago. We follow him as he travels to the opera houses of Europe in pursuit of one of his passions - opera. The conversations he has with ordinary people he meets en route are powerful ruminations on theology and philosophy. A gay American couple he meets on a train, who are unable to come to terms with Church teaching on homosexuality, challenge his notions of religion and love. A performance of Wagner's Die Meistersinger sparks a conversation with a German couple - innkeepers - who wrestle with Germany and the Holocaust. His thoughts on the fire bombing of Dresden I found powerful and devastating especially in view of today's world situation. His thoughts on 'that most complicated of the performing arts - opera - I found refreshing. I have known Father Lee through his wonderful books on opera, but The Book of Hours gives us a much deeper look at the world around us, and the role the arts play in that world, and in the human soul. What Father Lee reminds those of us who love the arts, is that they connect us with the divine. They draw us to what is deep inside us, and what is extraordinary outside us, for in the end the arts help us touch what is immanent and what is transcendant. A must read for those with a deep appreciation for literature, art and music.

Well known to opera lovers for his insightful commentaries during the Saturday broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera, Father Owen Lee's memoir of a year teaching in Italy and travelling all over Europe to attend operas adds a remarkable depth to Father Lee's clearly multifaceted life. Combining musings about religion, faith, scholarship,music and human nature, this is a beautiful book, rich in insights and moving in many ways. Although Father Lee's faith clearly derives from his calling as a Catholic priest, his observations and insights into things spirirual and musical should not be off-putting to a person of any faith, or none at all. "I hated to turn to the last page" is quite the literary cliche, but I was genuinely sorry for this wonderful book to end. I wish there were a volume two.

These stickers are small, pretty reproductions of various pieces of artwork. Each sticker is unique in the book, no doubles of any picture. They aren't the most perfect color plates ever, but they're basically for correspondance and craft purposes, or could be used as a reference (say, by Art History students). While I wish there had been duplicates, I can't fault Dover for erring on the side of variety, and I can't argue with the wonderful value the price represents. This little book is great as stationery, but it would also make a nice stocking-stuffer or gift topper. If Botticelli isn't your favorite artist, Dover has made books of other artists' work, which Amazon also offers and which are just as nifty.

BOTTICELLI's art tells what he liked in other artists: the shaded color and light of Andrea del Verrocchio, the energy of Antonio del Pollaiolo, and the faces of Fra Filippo Lippi. From Bruno Santi's book, it becomes clear what he liked in his own work: atmosphere, in the coarse tent with the headless Assyrian King Holofernes and in the dawn alive with Judith and her lady-in-waiting; attention to detail, in the blue enamel armor and metal highlights of his Fortitude; color, in the dawn flesh tones under the cornflower- and daisy-decorated clothing on his Birth of Venus; innovation, in the clear path to the larger-than-life 16th-century art with his Calumny, in the first early Renaissance freely placed figures with his Primavera and in the first Italian inscription in a painting with his Madonna enthroned with saints; meditation, in the golden dusk of his Adoration of the Magi; tension, in the contorted acolytes at his Communion of St. Jerome. The author also shows in his Scala/Riverside published work what the Florentine art world was doing during David Landau and Peter Parshall's THE RENAISSANCE PRINT 1470-1500. Likewise, his beautifully illustrated text is a good way to understand Jill Dunkerton's DURER TO VERONESE, Sylvia Ferino-Pagden and Maria Kusche's SOFONISBA ANGUISSOLA, Mary D. Garrard's ARTEMISIA GENTILESCHI, Andreas Prater and Hermann Bauer's PAINTING OF THE BAROQUE, and Rudolf Wittkower's ART AND ARCHITECTURE IN ITALY 1600-1750.

A delightful book that reads like a story (rather than a historical account) of Francis' many experiences with animals. Great for kids and adults alike.

This is a really fine illustrated life of St. Francis for youth. It is in large print suitable for children age 8 and up, and is likely to appeal to parents as well. I really enjoyed the art work and the well written text.

The book is divided into two parts and in the middle are several very good photographs and drawings of the cupola both interior and exterior including the area between the two domes.

The first part covers the history of the building, where the materials were gathered, how Brunelleschi came up with the design, how he oversaw the construction and workers to complete the project. A detailed chronology of the various repairs and modifications that have taken place since it's completion in 1436 is also examined. Part one concludes with a discussion of the Cupolas greater role in Florence and its impact and perception among artist, architects, writers, and others.

Part two is entirely devoted to examining the structure from an engineering perspective. This part may be very challenging for non-engineer types to really understand, as the analysis becomes quite technical and assumes the reader understands things such as bending moments, tensile stress, laws of elasticity, and more. That being said it does a great job in covering in detail the structural deformation of the cupola, the current tensile loads creating cracks above the four piers, a finite element analysis of the structure in its both cracked and un-cracked states, and methods for reinforcing the cupola so that structural integrity in maintained.

The information in part two alone justifies the purchase of this book, especially for engineering students and practicing engineers who also share an interest in history.

I bought one of these books in paperback form at the museum store in Florence, Italy and ordered more from Amazon when I saw the description specified "hardcover." The books I received were the same as I had bought in Florence...paperback. Yes, the cover is a heavier-than-usual card stock, but it is NOT hardcover as we have come to think of a hardcover binding.

That said, if you have ever seen Brunelleschi's cupola in person, been awestruck by its detail and managed to survive the climb of hundreds of steps to the top for the spectacular views, you will find this book fascinating and instructive. It also makes a terrific gift for the architect or builder in your life.

Although i knew this book, it always surprises me. One of the best issues about it is that, although based upon a deep research, the author does not goes around issuing theories and opinions: when he is not sure about something, just declares it. Great for people tired of ego-based theories, and fond of reality.

Gustina Scaglia's Brunelleschi: Studies Of His Technology And Inventions republishes a seminal 1970 study of an early pioneer of the Italian Renaissance whose architectural ideas changed Europe. His achievements are detailed in a title which surveys not just the art of his works, but the scientific and technological ideas behind them.

The most accessible cookbook by the master of authentic Italian "cucina." The results of the recipes look as good as the beautiful photographs in the book and taste even better. A tour of Italy in your kitchen. Also, I understand that there will be a TV series on PBS for twenty-six weeks, beginning sometime later this fall or winter.

Many "Italian" cookbooks are really Italian-American cookbooks. This one is for you if you want real Italian recipes. Yes, there are some unusual ingredients and not all the techniques are "easy as pie", but this book lets you taste Italy. I have made a number of the recipes with great success. Bugialli knows Italian food and he knows how to teach Americans to make it.

This book is one of my top 10 authentic Italian cookbooks.

This latest attempt at a history of Italian Literature for the English speaking world was highly recommended in a review by Giulio Ferroni in the Corriere della Sera (one of Italy's most important newspapers). Giulio Ferroni is himself the author of a highly regarded history of Italian Literature (in Italian). The writers include Lino Pertile and Franco Fido (both from Harvard), Paolo Cherchi (The University of Chicago), and others.

I have not completed this book yet, as I find myself stopping to investigate a particular author I didn't know much about, i.e., Tasso, Boccaccio, Leopardi, and then doing in-depth research to go along with the details of this book. It is really a wonderful introduction to Italian Literature. I majored in English Literature; therefore, writers like Dante and Petrarch were familiar to me, but still there was so much I wanted to know. This book gives me the chance to learn more and has a wonderful bibliography in order to know where to look for more. If you want to learn about Italian Literature, begin here and I think your experience will be worthwhile.

J. G. Links is widely recognized as the reigning authority on the Venetian painter Canaletto. This masterful book is probably the most extensive study on the painter available in the English language. In addition to Links' very entertaining prose his book is filled with color plates of over 200 of Canaletto's paintings and sketches.

Little is known about Canaletto's life and Links does not try to read more into the few facts that do exist. He does try to piece together Canaletto's life by dating his many paintings. If you are a Canaletto enthusiast and want to know more about what inspired him and how he lived you will be disappointed. No one knows how or why this man became the greatest painter of "view paintings" of all time except that his father was a painter of theatre scenes and undoubtedly exposed the young Canaletto to his trade at an early age. Canaletto's nephew was Bernardo Bellotto, a man who at his very best could claim to be as good as his uncle. Whereas Bellotto painted mostly in Germany, Canaletto is most famous for his views of Venice. The shimmering reflections of the Grand Canal, the faded and peeling stucco sides of the palaces, the many boat plying the waterways, and finally the people of Venice are captured in the all- seeing eye of the "camera man" of the 18th century.

Canaletto's best patrons were the English who were overcome by Venice's beauty and Canaletto's ability to capture it on canvas. He made two trips to London and his works there of the newly built Westminister Bridge, the Thames, and the castles of the rich rival his works of his native city. Most of Canaletto'w works are on display in English museums or in private collections in that country.

Links is not an interpreter of art and does not attempt to explain in detail the many plates in his book from an artistic perspective. He does explain in great detail the relationship of Canaletto to several Englishmen in Venice who acted as brokers for his many works. Were it not for these men Canaletto's fame would probably have gone less noticed and certainly they are responsible for the many works that still survive, thought sadly many have vanished forever.

While this is a picture book it is not necessarily a "coffee table" one. Canaletto painted scenes immense in size and detail and most do not reproduce that well on a single or even double page of this large book. Still, for a first rate account of Canaletto (slim as the facts may be), the business of art in the 1700's, and over 200 fabulous paintings (dare I say photographs?) and sketches, this is as good as it gets.

Canaletto, by J.G. Links follows the Phaidon tradition of delivering a beautiful book, full of detailed colour plates, for a fairly modest price. The pictures alone make the book worth purchasing.

Canaletto, a Venetian painter of the early 18th Century, moved from painting stage backdrops to gorgeous perspective views of his native town. If you have ever been to Venice you know that it has an achingly beautiful prospect around every corner. Canaletto reproduced these views artistically, with a keen eye for perspective, architectural detail and atmosphere. His paintings will leave you wanting to book the next flight to Italy. Phaidon does a wonderful job of reproducing his images, in full colour with plenty of detail plates. Canaletto's later work in London and his capriccios and ink drawings are also included. From a visual perspective this book is stunning.

It is, however, a little lacking when it comes to the text. It would seem that we only really know anything about Canaletto through his contacts with a couple of British middlemen , McSwiney and Smith, who engaged him to paint views of Venice for rich Englishman who had toured Venice. We are treated to numerous details about provenances and the lives of the British agents but precious little about Canaletto himself. His style is discussed largely in terms of technique - his use of perspective and the slight deviations he made from the real scenes. But a more in depth analysis of motivation and aesthetics never materializes. A final quibble would be the lack of a good map of Venice. A plan of Venice from 1729 is included, with labels in Italian but is mostly inadequate. The author assumes the reader is familiar with Venetian topology and rarely clarifies details of place.

The book is richly deserving of five stars for its images alone. The text is adequate but not particularily inspired. A brief chronology, list of sources and list of plates, together with a short index make up the somewhat abbreviated scholarly apparatus. If you are looking for a detailed life of Canaletto and a deep analysis of his paintings this book is probably not for you but if you want to simply wallow in the sheer beauty of Venice, it is a definite must.

I really enjoyed this book.

Stuart is my grandfather but that is not why I am writing this review. I am writing this because after reading 'Carlino' (or 'Pebbles From My Skull' as it is otherwise known as) you have more of an understanding of what it was actually like to go through WW2 and survive, to be a partisan behind enemy lines and to endure all the hardships associated with war.

This book does not try and glorify war, rather it merely reports on what really happened, what really happened to my grandfather.

It doesn't hurt that it is amazingly well written either.

I really enjoyed this book.

Stuart is my grandfather but that is not why I am writing this review. I am writing this because after reading 'Carlino' (or 'Pebbles From My Skull' as it is otherwise known as) you have more of an understanding of what it was actually like to go through WW2 and survive, to be a partisan behind enemy lines and to endure all the hardships associated with war.

This book does not try and glorify war, rather it merely reports on what really happened, what really happened to my grandfather.

It doesn't hurt that it is amazingly well written either.

I have visited numerous book stores in an attempt to find a wine book that is easy to read and would provide me with the knowledge that I felt I needed to sound like a wine expert. I found it in Cataldo Uncorked: All You Really Need to Know About Wine to be "Pretentious" as well as "Obnoxious" and More.
I am now equally comfortable when ordering a bottle of wine in a restaurant or purchasing a bottle in a wine store. Also I can now describe the wine in terms that get the attention of people who are wine-savvy.

I bought this book because I new virtually nothing about choosing wine. I loved it because I found everything I needed to know quickly and easily - from how to order wine in a restaurant to speaking confidently about wine in conversations or at wine tastings. It includes a glossary and samples of wine descriptions, as well as suggestions on which wines to serve with which food. This is an excellent choice for anyone looking to increase their knowledge of wine.